Exclusive: Matthew Hoggard Slams England’s 'Brainless Cricket' as Bazball Faces Ashes Crisis

England's meek surrender in the first two Ashes Tests raised eyebrows. 

Ben Stokes and Co. are facing a lot of flak for holidaying in Noosa before starting afresh in the third Test at Adelaide from December 17. 

Taking a vacation can be the right move, as it freshens the mind and encourages different thinking, which will be necessary from next week. 

What's the secret sauce to cause a turnaround?

NOT PLAYING SENSIBLE CRICKET

Former England fast bowler Matthew Hoggard is surprised to learn about the team's downtime at the beach. However, he pointed out gaps that need to be filled. 

"The management and coaches have been given a lot of leeway and ropes, and we planned for this series for three years. It isn’t going the way we would have liked, and then, we are off to Nosa for a holiday. You are what? The optics don’t look great. The questions will be asked if they don’t get the results," he told SportsBoom.co.uk.

Before the photos by the beach irked former cricketers and pundits, head coach Brendon McCullum had commented that the team was overprepared for the day-night Test at the Gabba. 

"I may disagree with Mr McCullum a little bit about the preparation part. We are not playing basic, sensible cricket. We are trying to run before we can walk. The bowlers can’t hold the line and length, and the batters cannot stay in. They are playing big, booming cover drives in the first two or three balls and then snick it off. We are trying to play too many shots through the covers on these bouncy wickets, which doesn’t go hand-in-hand," added Hoggard, who was part of England's historic 2-1 Ashes win at home in 2005.

BAT LONGER WITHOUT RUSHING

Hoggard, who claimed 16 wickets in that epic series, felt England could turn the tide if they batted longer. 

"We have to spend some time in the middle when we bat, we don’t have to score five an over, if we do that, we are lasting only 60-odd overs. It doesn’t matter if it takes 150 overs to score 500 runs. You need to score the runs so the bowlers have something to bowl at. We need to have discipline and belief," he added.

England lasted longer under the lights in Brisbane. They batted for 76.2 overs in the first, and 76.2 in the second. On the other hand, in the series opener with the red ball, their existence on the wicket was limited to 32.5 and 34.4 overs. 

"We haven’t spent time in the middle. We lasted 70-odd overs with our innings in Perth. We haven’t scored enough runs, and the bowlers are not holding on to the plans for more than five overs."

TACTIC TALK FOR BOWLERS

The bowlers have bowled short and wide. 

"We are trying to bowl the short ball a bit too much. We are bowling for one form of dismissal, which is caught, unless we are bowling for a runout, which is a stupid thing to do in Test cricket. We are taking away lbw and bowled. I don’t understand the bowling tactics. There is no intensity in the field," he said.

The veteran of 67 Tests and 26 ODIs, Hoggard, reasoned that it wasn't impossible to come back into the series if the tourists capitalise on the key moments. 

"It is not impossible to come back. We were in a commanding position in the first Test, but then, we played brainless cricket and lost our wickets, and they only chased 200. When you have the opposition by the throat, you can’t let them come back in the game and win the little battles. And especially, to Australia, in their backyard. We need to be very clear with our tactics and stick to them better. The game of cricket has not changed that much. It is still a simple game, made complicated by people who play," he said.

England takes pride in the Bazball approach, of playing attacking cricket come what may, even if that didn't work in some cases. The future of Bazball could be blurry if they lose the series. 

"There has been little questioning about the belief system. There has been a positive mindset. You need to be adaptable. Bowlers can win you Test matches with 80 mph with a wicketkeeper standing up. Michael Neser proved that. You have to play match-situation and play the circumstances, and at the moment, England doesn’t have the batters except Joe Root or Stokes to stay in and grind for the runs. The constant ‘we need to dominate’ stance is not working, and if it does not work, you live and die by the sword," said Hoggard.

Cummins will return to lead Australia from the third Test, while Hazlewood has been ruled out of the series due to an Achilles injury. On the other hand, Matthew Fisher replaced England pacer Mark Wood after a recurrence of his left-knee injury.

Matthew Hoggard is an award-winning cricket speaker represented by Champions Speakers Agency, one of the UK’s leading keynote speaker bureaus.